Practice question · Select all that apply
Which are true of the clear and dark realisations of /l/?
Hints
- Three describe the distribution and articulation; one claims a contrast.
- No English word pair is distinguished by clear against dark /l/.
Show the answer
- A. The clear one occurs before a vowel
- B. In some accents the dark one has become a vowel with no tongue-tip contact
- D. The dark one adds retraction of the tongue body towards the velum
Why
The fourth would make them separate phonemes, and they are not: their distribution is fully predictable from position, which makes them allophones. The vocalisation in the second option is a sound change in progress and is now the majority pattern for many younger speakers of southern British English.
Practise English Consonants II: the Rest, and Allophony
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